Young mastermind Josh McDaniels to coach Denver Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos apparently have turned from "The Mastermind" to "The Wunderkid."

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has agreed to take over the Broncos, ESPN reported Sunday night. The network said the 32-year-old McDaniels will be introduced as Denver's new coach on Monday.

The Broncos did not respond to phone messages and e-mails from the Associated Press seeking comment.

McDaniels would replace Mike Shanahan, who was fired Dec. 30 after 14 seasons with three years and $21 million left on his contract. He's the only one of six NFL head coaches to ever get fired by the team for which he won back-to-back Super Bowls

The Broncos won it all in 1997 and '98 but have slipped into mediocrity, winning just one playoff game in the decade since John Elway retired.

McDaniels is a rising star who has spent his entire eight-year NFL coaching career in New England, where he worked his way up from personnel assistant in the scouting department to offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick.

Under his tutelage, Tom Brady threw for a record 50 touchdowns last season and the Patriots came within a whisker of the first 19-0 season in NFL history.

McDaniels' reputation grew ever larger this year when Brady was lost with a knee injury in the opener and Matt Cassel, who hadn't started a game since high school, led the Patriots to an 11-5 record.

McDaniels would be the third member of Belichick's coaching staff to become a head coach in the NFL, following Romeo Crennel with Cleveland in 2005 and Eric Mangini, who joined the Jets a year later. Both were fired this offseason with Mangini replacing Crennel in Cleveland.

McDaniels was the second of seven candidates the Broncos' brain trust interviewed. Owner Pat Bowlen, chief operating officer Joe Ellis and personnel chief Jim Goodman met with him in Rhode Island on Jan. 4, and Goodman conducted a second, lengthy interview with him in the Boston area.

McDaniels will inherit an explosive offense that appears to be one healthy running back away from greatness and a dismal defense that needs another overhaul. That led many observers to believe defensive minds such as the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo or the Vikings' Leslie Frazier had the inside track for the job in Denver.

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Tom Bardy behind in recovery could mean controversy

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has fallen behind in his recovery efforts from knee surgery and could risk missing next season if another operation is needed, NBCSports.com has reported.

Brady, who underwent surgery Oct. 6 after tearing the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee in the first quarter of the team's first game of the season, had subsequent operations on the knee after it became infected.

That infection resulted in a buildup of scar tissue, which may require surgery on the knee, the Web site reported, citing an anonymous NFL source.

The scar tissue also has affected Brady's ability to begin fully rehabilitating his leg, the report said, and the repaired ligaments remain loose. Another surgery also could be needed for that condition, the Web site reported.

The Boston Globe cited league sources and sources close to Brady that dismissed the report. According to the newspaper, the infection appears to have cleared and Brady's rehab is progressing as expected.

Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady as the starter and has helped lead the Patriots to an 11-win season, but New England fell short of the playoffs when Miami beat the Jets on Sunday to win the AFC East.

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COMPLICATIONS WITH PRETTY BOY'S SURGERY

Doctors are aggressively fighting an infection in Tom Brady's surgically repaired left knee.

Brady recently acknowledged on his Web site that doctors went in "to clean and to test the wound" on Oct. 15 because of the infection. The New England Patriots quarterback has had two more similar procedures since then.

The story was first reported by the Boston Herald and confirmed by ESPN's Wendi Nix.

The Patriots, sources told ESPN early Thursday, are upset because they wanted Brady's surgery done under the direction of doctors of their choosing in Boston.

The Patriots later denied that report in a statement: "Today, ESPN cited an unnamed source who supposedly expressed the feelings of the Patriots 'organization.' This unsubstantiated report does not represent the team's views whatsoever. We have supported Tom Brady one hundred percent from day one of this process and will continue to do so."

Brady's surgery was done in California by a doctor his family preferred, and now there are major problems. Brady was supposed to be back in New England by now, but a timeline for his return remains unclear.

A person close to Brady told ESPN: "Tom is looking at months, not weeks, to fix this."

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Brady's surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, consulted with renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews after the initial infection appeared.

Andrews, based in Birmingham, Ala., gave his support and affirmation to ElAttrache's procedures and follow-up, as well as ElAttrache's credentials.

"[Neal is] very knowledgeable and as good a decision-maker in taking care of athletic injuries -- including complications -- as anyone in the world," Andrews told the Times.

Andrews said that according to ElAttrache, Brady appeared to be recovering well, and was responding to the aggressive, infection-clearing treatments, according to the Times report.
" ... Once the healing process catches back up, it really doesn't set him behind to any degree relative to the overall healing process. The main thing is to save the graft," Andrews said in the Times.

According to the Herald, Brady is on a six-week course of intravenously administered antibiotics, and is still having follow-up exams at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, where the surgery took place. The Herald reported the infection originated from an incision to repair the medial collateral ligament.

If the infection is not brought under control, the patellar tendon graft used to replace Brady's anterior cruciate ligament could become compromised, according to the Herald's report. If that happens, he will have to undergo another surgery on the ACL. That would reset the clock on his rehabilitation.

Brady had surgery on Oct. 6 -- 29 days after he was injured in the Patriots' season opener -- on a hit by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Brady reportedly tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the knee.

New England Patriots spokesman Stacey James said Wednesday the team would let Brady comment on the status of his injury.

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